Beam will rejoin the bullpen. He has a 4.01 ERA and 15/17 K/BB ratio in 33 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh this season.

Pirates recalled RHP Craig Hansen from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Hansen allowed nine earned runs and walked 12 in 10 innings for Pittsburgh before being sent down last week. He'll have to earn it if he wants to resume working in close games.

Pirates recalled RHP Ross Ohlendorf from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Ohlendorf is expected to start Wednesday as the Pirates go to six starters for now. He was 4-3 with a 3.47 ERA in seven starts for Indy after coming over in the Xavier Nady trade. Since he'll be facing the Reds in his first start up, NL-only leaguers in desperate need of wins could try him.

Pirates recalled RHP Marino Salas from Triple-A Indianapolis.

It will be the fourth stint of the year in the Pirates' pen for Salas. He's given up 12 runs in 11 2/3 innings so far.

Pirates recalled RHP Romulo Sanchez from Triple-A Indianapolis.

The 24-year-old Sanchez had a 3.46 ERA in 54 2/3 innings for Indianapolis. The Pirates' old regime thought he could be a big part of the team's pen going forward. He still has some work to do to convince the current management. He's probably not going to develop into more than a middle reliever.

Pirates recalled outfielder Steve Pearce from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Since Andrew McCutchen isn't being called up, Pearce should only have Nyjer Morgan to worry about in the competition for at-bats. The Pirates should play him regularly to see if he can be a starter in 2009. He's had a disappointing year, but he still has considerable power potential.

Pirates recalled catcher Ronny Paulino from Triple-A Indianapolis.

It will be worth it for the Pirates to give Paulino playing time this month to see if they can get other teams looking at him as a potential starter again. The 27-year-old hit .306/.373/.550 in 111 at-bats in Triple-A. He missed seven weeks because of an ankle injury.

Pirates recalled catcher Robinzon Diaz from Triple-A Indianapolis.

The Pirates will carry four catchers this month after getting Diaz for Jose Bautista last week. Diaz could move ahead of Raul Chavez on the depth chart, but we're guessing Ronny Paulino will get most of the starts that don't go to Ryan Doumit.

Pirates recalled infielder Brian Bixler from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Ideally, the Pirates would have gotten a quality young shortstop for either Jason Bay or Xavier Nady. Bixler's disappointing year suggests that he's unlikely to succeed as the heir to Jack Wilson's job. His .280/.346/.402 in Triple-A isn't completely abysmal, but he fanned 107 times in just 321 at-bats. In the majors, he hit .173/.239/.198 in 81 at-bats. He'll serve as Wilson's backup this month.

Cruz, a former Red Sox and Padres prospect, hit .279/.314/.406 between Double- and Triple-A. He has a quality glove and he's still just 24 despite having been around forever (he was signed as a 16-year-old), so there's the chance that he could emerge as a viable utilityman

rotoworld

I think seeing McCutchen in the MLB before the season is over would be nice, but it doesnt look like much a possibility anymore.